


History and Love

by Rae_Joker



Series: Velvet Scarlatina/Bartholomew Oobleck [1]
Category: RWBY
Genre: Arguing, Coco does not approve, F/M, Fluff, Ironwood does not approve, Ozpin knows everything, Protective Oobleck, Qrow is a troll, Racism, Secret Relationship, Shyness, Teacher-Student Relationship, Unsupportive Friends, Velvet is adorable, but they make up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-01
Updated: 2016-03-07
Packaged: 2018-05-04 10:04:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5330099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rae_Joker/pseuds/Rae_Joker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Velvet Scarlatina has always loved history.  When the one teaching her favorite subject also happens to be an extremely handsome, younger teacher, and an active supporter of Faunus rights, a crush seems inevitable.</p>
<p>Bartholomew Oobleck generally had little time for anything outside of his work, but a certain sweet, shy, straight A student may change his mind.</p>
<p>I don't even know how I came up with this, but I've had this pairing in my head ever since the episode with Velvet in Oobleck's class, so I decided to go ahead and write about it.  Beta'd by my awesome boyfriend, The Dark Knight of Remnant. Any input is always appreciated!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Crush

Velvet Scarlatina glanced up at her history teacher, pausing in her note-taking.  She always admired the energy and passion Dr. Oobleck displayed as he taught his class.  She could tell he loved his job, and really cared about what he was teaching.

She also thought he was incredibly handsome.

Velvet had always been so proud of being such a good, smart person, straight A's, always followed the rules, she even chose a job that would let her help people.  Yet here she was, with a hopeless crush on her history teacher.  It could never be anything more than a fantasy, she knew that, yet she still looked at him a moment too long before returning to her notes, and every day at the end of class, she would stop before she left to tell him she enjoyed his lecture.

She noticed that Dr. Oobleck was about to turn in her general direction again, and quickly focused her eyes on her notes.  She knew nothing would happen between them, but that didn't do anything to stop her fantasies.

 

****

 

Bartholomew Oobleck let his gaze linger on a certain student of his for just a moment as he gave his lecture.  He never so much as paused, but he couldn't help but admire the pretty young rabbit Faunus in the front row. 

In his experience, Velvet Scarlatina was a very sweet person, and a dedicated student.  She seemed to enjoy history, and she always stopped after his classes to tell him how she'd enjoyed his lecture.  He could not deny that he was beginning to have feelings for the quiet young woman, but he kept them carefully hidden.  She was a student, if he so much as spent too much time alone with her, he could lose his job, and she probably had many admirers her own age who she would prefer.  So he had to content himself with short glances and the occasional discussion about his lecture.

 

****

 

Coco Adel glanced at her teammate out of the corner of her eye.  She knew Velvet had a crush on Oobleck, it was obvious to anyone who knew her well enough.  Normally, Coco would mind her own business, but it seemed lately that Velvet was passing up chances to have a more appropriate boyfriend in favor of fantasizing about Oobleck.

Coco decided the best thing to do was talk to Oobleck.  She thought he seemed like a decent guy, and he would probably shut her friend down gently and encourage her to find someone her own age. She just hoped it worked.


	2. A Talk and a Decision

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Coco talks to Oobleck, not realizing her plan will totally backfire.

Coco walked up to her teacher as the rest of the students, including her own team, filed out.  "Professor-”

“Doctor.”

“Um, okay.   Doctor Oobleck, I need to talk to you about something."

"Why of course!  It my profession and sincerest pleasure to assist a young mind in need.  What is it I may be able to aid you with, dear Miss Adel?"

"Well… it's about one of my teammates, Velvet."

Coco thought Oobleck paused for a moment at hearing her name, but she decided she must have imagined it.  "Ah yes, Miss Scarlatina.  The Faunus girl.  Yes, yes.  What about her?"

"Long story short, she has a huge crush on you and I'm worried that it's interfering with her social life.  I wanted to ask you to talk to her about it. Convince her that it’s unrealistic and isn’t gonna happen."

His pause was significantly more obvious that time. “Oh. Well. Um. O-of course. I will- I will talk to the girl. Yes. I’ll make sorting this out a top priority.”

“Thanks, Doc.” Coco walked to the door, stopped in the doorway, and turned back. “And Doc…”

“”Yes, Miss Adel?”

“Do me a favor and let her down gently, okay?”

She turned back and left, leaving him alone to think.

“Yes… Of course.”

  
  
  


Bartholomew couldn't believe what he was hearing.  Velvet Scarlatina, the student he was guilty of developing feelings for, had feelings for him as well.  He wasn't sure what to do. Should he confess his own feelings?  Do as her leader asked and let her down gently? 

On one hand, he would be risking losing his job, and a relationship with him could cast doubt on Velvet's character as well.

On the other hand, he was unusually clever.  He wasn't being overconfident, he really was.  He was confident he could keep the relationship a secret.  And he really cared for Velvet.

After debating with himself for a while, he still hadn’t made up his mind.  He finally decided to just talk to Velvet and see how things went.


	3. Confessions

Velvet was in her favorite class, taking excellent notes, as usual, and glancing every now and then at her favorite teacher.  It seemed like just a normal day.  Then, when she went to leave after telling Oobleck she had enjoyed his lecture, he stopped her.

"Miss Scarlatina, if you are not too busy with your readings, would you care to see me in my office after your last class of the day?"

Velvet was a bit confused about what he could want, but she nodded.  "Of course..."

The Rabbit Faunus continued her day normally, though in the back of her mind she wondered what Oobleck wanted.

After her last class, she left her team and went to Oobleck’s office.  It seemed a bit small, but that may have just been the enormous number of books, maps, and loose pieces of paper scattered about.  In the back of the office was a cluttered desk, where Oobleck was sitting, coffee mugs everywhere, including in his hand.

It took approximately 1.2 seconds for Oobleck to notice that she had entered the room.  “Ah, Miss Scarlatina! I’m glad you have arrived. Please, sit.”

Velvet slowly sat in the chair in front of his desk.  “Wh-what did you want to see me about, Doctor Oobleck?”

Finally! Someone gets it right on the first try!

“Straight to the point. Yes. Well, your leader Miss Adel came to me yesterday after class with some concerns.”

Velvet felt her heart stop.  Just what concerns could Coco have that she needed to bring to Oobleck?  “C-concerns?”

“Well, she… Well you see… Your team leader informed me that you …”  He cleared his throat awkwardly.  “That you have… Developed an attraction… towards... me… An attraction towards me.”

Velvet felt her face heat up, likely from going very red.  What should she say?!  Deny it? She wasn’t a good liar, and her blushing was probably already giving her away.  Why did Coco have to do this?!  She had to say  something .  “I-I-I….”  Smooth.

“Miss Scarlatina? Are you- Are you quite alright? Miss Scarlatina?”

She was making a complete fool of herself.  “Y-yes, Doctor… I-I’m fine…” she lied, very badly, she knew.

Oobleck paused a moment before speaking again.  “So… Tell me.. Miss...Would your leader’s, um, theory, happen to be… Um... Is it true?”

He’d be able to tell she was lying if she denied it, she was sure of it.  She had no choice.  She had to be honest.  When this was over, she was going to have a talk with Coco about minding her own business.  “Y-yes, Doctor Oobleck. Yes it’s true…” she admitted quietly, her eyes fixed on her hands folded in her lap.

There was a moment of silence.  “Miss Scarla- Velvet, please look at me.”

Startled to hear him call her by her first name, she slowly raised her head.

  
  


Bartholomew wasn’t certain how to handle this.  How exactly should he tell his  student  that he returned her feelings?  He wasn’t even supposed to  have  feelings for a student!  It didn’t help that he was becoming very distracted by the discovery that Velvet was extremely cute when she blushed.  But he had to say something, before the poor girl had an anxiety attack.

“Velvet, please, just... please calm down.  Velvet, to be entirely honest with you…”  He was going to tell her.  He was going to just say he had feelings for her.  “I… May have developed a… similar feeling of affection… Towards… You as well.”  He was sure he couldn’t be more awkward if he tried, but at least he got his point across.

Velvet’s face turned an even darker shade of red.  “Y-you have…?”

“Yes, my dear girl. Yes I have.”

The young Faunus was quiet a moment, letting this sink in.  After a moment, she asked, “So… where do we go from here?”

“Of that I am not certain,” he admitted.  “I suppose for most people the next logical step would be to begin a relationship, but… It is not so simple for us.”

“That is true,” she agreed.

“After all, if we were to be discovered, there is a danger that I could potentially lose my job at Beacon.  Not to mention the fact that people would begin to assume that your high grades in my class were due solely to the fact that we have engaged in…” He decided not to finish that thought.  Velvet’s face was red enough as it is.  “However…  If you were in the belief that pursuing these… sentiments... was worth the risk of these possible negative outcomes… I would not be completely opposed to the idea of a… confidential... association.”

Velvet began to chew on her lower lip.  “I-I’m not sure…”

“I understand if it is not in your interest, and I would never want to force you into something that your heart is not fully invested in.”

“It’s not that I don’t want to…” she admitted shyly, brushing a lock of hair out of her face.  “I just… If we get caught… I wouldn’t want you to lose your job because of me…”

“Velvet… If I did not deem it worth the risks, I would have done as your leader requested and, to use her words directly, let you down gently.  I want you to make this decision based on whether or not  you  want this and believe it to be worth the risks.”

Velvet blushed lightly at this, and, after a moment’s hesitation, nodded.  “A-alright.  I’d be willing to try…  At least one date…”

Oobleck couldn’t help but smile and burst into a typical Oobleck rant.  “Marvelous! Simply marvelous!  Might I suggest that perhaps we take a visit to the Dust museum on the other side of Vale?  Perhaps Thursday- No!  Friday night.  All other students will likely be out at movies or restaurants.  Statistically, it would be rather unlikely that we would be recognized, and even if, by some small chance, we were to be caught, we could easily claim that I was simply helping you with an extra credit project.  Easy deniability.”

Velvet smiled shyly.  “That sounds great.”

“Excellent!  Then I shall meet you by the airships at eight o’clock, sharp, on Friday night.  Now if you’ll excuse me, it seems my coffee pot has run itself dry.  I shall be off to fetch more and you should probably be getting back to your teammates.  They may be getting worried. If you’re gone too long they might suspect you of being involved with your Remnant history teacher.  And that would just be absurd, now wouldn’t it?”  On that last part, he pulled his glasses down and winked at the girl.  “Anyway!  Good day, Velvet.”  He leaned in closer.  “I’ll be seeing you again soon.”  And he darted out of the room, leaving the Faunus girl behind to take in the last few minutes.

As she processed what just happened, Velvet blushed harder than she ever had in her life.   That had actually just happened .  Suddenly, she was a lot less angry with Coco.


	4. The Date

Friday night, Velvet approached the airships, wearing a brown sweater and a denim skirt, her hair held back by a brown ribbon.  She was running a little late, and she was wondering why in Remnant she had decided to wear heels when she couldn’t run in them.  How did Coco fight in these things?!  She finally approached Oobleck, who was waiting by one of the airships.

“I am  _ so _ sorry, I know I’m late…”  She really hoped he wouldn’t be angry.

“It is of little concern.  Simply attempt to be more punctual next time.”

She quickly nodded.  “I will.  I won’t be late again.”

“In that case, shall we be off?”

The younger girl nodded and followed him onto the airship.  

  
  


On the ride to Vale, they mostly talked about history.  Well, Oobleck talked about it, Velvet just kind of listened.  But she didn’t mind, she was a quiet person anyway, and had always prefered to listen rather than speak.  Besides, she found his perspective on different historical events interesting.

As he began to mention the Faunus Wars, namely how many humans had wanted to keep all Faunus on Menagerie, he paused, glancing at her.  “That reminds me, you lived in Menagerie before coming to Beacon, didn’t you?”

“That’s right,” she confirmed.

“I thought I remembered seeing that in your file.  I have never had the opportunity to visit Menagerie.  Although it is a plan that I fully intend on making reality.  Tell me, how did you like it there?”

She smiled.  “It was a very pleasant place to live.  A bit hot during the day, and rather cold at night, but still very nice.”  She paused a moment, lowering her head.  “It’s also one of the only places a Faunus will almost never be discriminated against… I never even realized how bad it was until I left Menagerie…”

He shook his head sadly.  “Unfortunately, humanity is still a long way from true acceptance.  It’s simply dreadful the way Faunus are treated.”

“And the White Fang is not helping convince humans that we are equals and not just war-hungry animals…”

“It is a real shame…”  He shook his head as the airship landed.  “But let us not dwell on such unpleasant topics.  This is supposed to be a date after all.”  He couldn’t help but smile when she blushed.  It certainly didn’t take much to make her turn red.

  
  


A short cab ride later, they arrived at the Dust museum.  At the front desk, Velvet started to get out her money to pay the entrance fee, but Oobleck stopped her.  “No no. I will be covering that, my dear Velvet.”

“I can afford it,” she protested.

“As can I.  I am a professor and a Huntsman.  I insist you let me take this.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind paying.”

“I am positively certain, Velvet.”

“Well… Alright…”  Velvet hesitantly put her wallet away, letting Oobleck pay.

As they walked through the museum, Oobleck talked at length about each exhibit, and Velvet listened happily, very much enjoying herself.  Once again, she wasn’t able to add more than a few statements and questions to the conversation, but it didn’t bother her.

“Oh, this is especially interesting!  The Blade of Mogar, the first weapon ever infused with Dust!  Most powerful weapon of its time, naturally, and its creation lead to more weapons being infused with Dust, and eventually leading to the weapons we use today.  I assume you have done some reading on it, being a Dust Mage.”

She nodded.  “Of course.  I don’t use my weapon much, but I still find all weapons to be fascinating, especially the ones infused with Dust.”

“That reminds me, what is your weapon?”

Velvet simply smiled sweetly.  “It’s a secret.”

“Well surely you can tell me.”

She shook her head, still smiling.  “You will have to wait and see it when everyone else does.”

She turned her attention back to the exhibit, leaning a little closer to get a better look, when Oobleck noticed something.  He had noticed that the same security guard seemed to be popping up wherever they were, but he had brushed it off as a coincidence.  But now, seeing the way the other man was glaring at Velvet, he wasn’t so sure.

Leaving Velvet to continue her examination of the blade, he approached the security guard.  “Pardon me, sir, but I couldn’t help but noticed you have been eying us for quite a while now.  Is there a problem?”

“Just making sure the girl with the ears doesn’t try anything.”

Oobleck frowned at that.  “Sir, that young lady has done nothing wrong, and she never would.”

“We can’t take chances, you never know who could be White Fang.”

“She is  _ not  _ White Fang, and frankly, you accusing her of that just because she is a Faunus is very insulting.  Now kindly stop following us.”

He quickly went back to Velvet, who looked at him curiously.  “Is something wrong?”

He smiled reassuringly.  “No, not at all.  Everything is fine.”

Velvet didn’t seem convinced, but she let it go and simply followed him to the next exhibit.

The next exhibit was the dress of Lady Lilac.  “I assume you know all about this,” Oobleck commented.

“Of course.  The first piece of clothing infused with Dust, known for being both beautiful and powerful in battle.  Lady Lilac was known for her intelligence and ingenuity in creating the dress, as well as being the most beautiful woman of her time.” 

“Of her time, yes. Although, I may have recently discovered that her title may have in fact been taken from her.” With that he looked over to Velvet with his eyebrows raised and a smile on his face.

Velvet’s face immediately turned a bright shade of red, making him chuckle.  “Forgive me, I simply couldn’t resist teasing you a little.  Although, not even I would’ve guessed it would have been  _ that _ easy.  That was quite possibly the single most comically ridiculous thing I have ever said.”

“That wasn’t funny,” she mumbled quietly.

“I thought it was.”  He chuckled slightly.  “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t tease you so much.”

“It’s alright…”

Unfortunately, he noticed that the security guard continued to follow them, and it seemed Velvet was starting to notice as well.  She started keeping her head down and holding her hands behind her back, as if to show she wouldn’t touch or take anything.

As she leaned closer to get a better look at one of the exhibits, the guard approached.  “Miss, I’m going to have to ask you to step away from the exhibit.”

Velvet immediately backed away, apologizing quietly, but Oobleck turned to glare at the guard.  “She did nothing wrong,” he informed the guard, careful to keep his temper in check.  He didn’t want to cause a scene and embarrass Velvet.  “Other people have gotten closer to the exhibits than she has, why did you not say anything to them?”

“Sir, I’m just trying to keep the exhibits safe.”

“No, you are treating her with suspicion because she is a Faunus.  This is discrimination.”

Velvet was clearly very uncomfortable.  “D-doctor Oobleck, let’s just move on, please… It’s not that big a deal… I shouldn’t have gotten so close to the exhibit…”

Oobleck hated to just leave things as they were, but he didn’t want to make Velvet anymore uncomfortable than she already was.  “Very well, if that is what you want.”

They continued through the museum, the security guard following them the entire time.  Oobleck managed to ignore him until they left the museum.  “That security guard’s behavior was unacceptable.”

“I’m used to it by now, it’s not that big a deal…”

Deciding to try to distract her from what happened, he gave a small smile.  “Why don’t we go get something for dinner?  It is around that time.”

Velvet gave a small smile back.  “That sounds like an excellent idea.”

  
  


Oobleck lead her to a restaurant he had gone to a few times with his fellow teachers, a steakhouse called  _ Edgar’s Steakhouse _ .  They were seated and waited for their waitress.

“Professor Oobleck,” she greeted when she arrived, “welcome back! It’s been a little while since your last visit.” Velvet immediately noticed that she had purple hair.

“Doctor,” he grumbled. “Hello, Meg. I see you changed your hair again.”

“Yeah, I got tired of red. What can I get you two to drink?” she asked, looking to Velvet first.

The attention caused her to shrink her posture down as much as she could. “I’ll take ice water with lemon.”

“Alright, and you, Professor?”

“Doctor. And I’ll have a coffee.”

“The usual way?”

“Absolutely.”

“Alright. I’ll go get those.”

Once the waitress left, Velvet just looked to Oobleck, not wanting to be the first to talk.

“I may come here often... I may also know the owner… He’s a cousin of Port’s.”

“Oh… that’s… cool.”

Meg brought their drinks and they both referred to their menus.

“The steak here is excellent,” he commented, looking over the menu.  “What do you intend to order?”

“Probably just a salad.”

“A salad?”  He raised an eyebrow.  “You can get more than that, Velvet.”

“Um, well… I’m actually vegan, and that’s the only thing on the menu I can eat…”

He raised both eyebrows this time.  “You do realize this is a  _ steakhouse _ , correct?”

She gave a sheepish smile.  “Well, I didn’t want to say anything…”

He shook his head slightly.  “We need to work on your communication skills. You need to speak up once in awhile.”

“I know…”

“Well, next time I’ll take you somewhere with more vegan choices.”

She gave a small smile.  “Thank you.”

Their waitress returned to their table. “Are you two ready to order?”

“Why yes we are, my dear. I will have the ribeye steak, cooked medium well, with a stuffed potato on the side.”

She wrote down the order while repeating it out loud. She then turned to Velvet. “And for you?”

“I’ll have the chopped salad, no cheese, please.”

“Alright. Anything else?”

“No thank you. That’ll be good.”

The waitress finished writing down Velvet’s order. “Ok. I’ll go take those back to the kitchen and bring them out as soon as I can.” She then turned and left.

There was a brief pause before either one of the two spoke up again. It was Oobleck.

“So Velvet, did you by chance enjoy the day’s activities?”

She smiled a little.  “Yes, I had a very good time.”

“Excellent. The Vale Dust Museum is one of my favorite museums in all of Remnant. Right after the Atlesian History Museum in… well, Atlas… and right before the Ancient Grimm Museum in Vacuo.”

“I’ve never been either of those places,” Velvet commented, interest in her eyes.  “I’ve never been anywhere other than Menagerie or Vale.  I’d love to travel more someday though.”

“I’d highly advise take trips outside of Vale. See new places. Do new things. Remnant is a wide and wondrous world just begging to be explored.” He paused for a moment, as if planning out his next words very carefully. “You know, Velvet. It wouldn’t be impossible for a Huntsman like myself to take leave to travel every once in awhile. It also wouldn’t be impossible for me to bring a plus-one with me on my travels…”

Velvet’s eyes widened slightly.  “That would be incredible.”

“I hope I’m not coming on too strongly when I make propositions like that.”

“Oh, no, of course not,” she quickly reassured him, giving a small smile.

Oobleck couldn’t help the smile growing on his face. “So, with that in mind, I’ll take it that you’ve not begun to regret… us… at this point. Would I be correct in this assumption?”

“Of course I don’t regret it.  I’m having a wonderful time, and it’s nice to have a conversation with someone who shares my interest in history.”

“So would I be wrong in also assuming that I can count on spending more future days similar to the way we’ve spent this one?”

The Faunus girl smiled shyly.  “If you’d like to…”

“I would like to. Very much so in fact.”

She blushed a little.  “Then I see no reason why not.”

“I hope you’re hungry,” their waitress announced herself as she walked over with their orders.

“We absolutely are,” Oobleck told her as she placed their respective meals in front of them. “Thank you very much, Meg.”

“Thank you,” Velvet echoed quietly.

The waitress left as Oobleck reached for his utensils. “Well, I don’t know about you, my dear, but I’m starving.”

Velvet nodded in agreement, picking up her fork.  “I am too.”

“I still can’t believe I bring you to a steakhouse, and you order a salad,” he teased.

 

After they finished their meal, Velvet and Oobleck took a cab back to the airships and returned to Beacon.  Before they went their separate ways, Oobleck glanced around to make sure they would not be spotted before turning his attention back to Velvet.  

“I am very pleased we decided to do this,” he told her.

“I am too,” she replied with a small smile and a light blush.

“Shall we plan to meet again the same time next week?”

“That sounds perfect.”

“Excellent.”  He gave a warm smile.  “I look forward to it.”  He glanced around again.  “We should probably return to our respective quarters before we are seen together.  Goodnight, Velvet.”

“Goodnight, Doctor Oobleck.”

He stopped her when she turned to leave.  “Bartholomew.”

“What?”

“Outside of school… I would prefer if you call me Bartholomew.”

She paused, then smiled.  “Alright.  Goodnight, Bartholomew.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank The Dark Knight of Remnant ( http://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Dark_Knight_of_Remnant/pseuds/The_Dark_Knight_of_Remnant ) for all his help with this story. It wouldn't be nearly as good without his help.


	5. Caught

5 weeks later, Velvet quietly slipped into her dorm room.  She was getting back from another date with Bartholomew, and she didn’t want to wake her teammates.  As she carefully closed the door behind her, the light suddenly flicked on, revealing Coco next to the light switch, and that her entire team was awake and waiting for her.

“Where the hell have you been?” she demanded, glaring at her teammate.

“I-I was at the library,” Velvet lied, looking away.

“Oh really?  What about  _ last  _ Friday?  Or the Friday  _ before _ that?”

“I was working on an extra credit project…”

At that, Fox spoke up.  “Right, because an over-achieving straight A student definitely needs extra credit.”

“M-maybe I just want to make sure I have the best grades possible…”

“Vel, you’re a terrible liar,” Coco informed her, crossing her arms.  “Now tell us where you really were.”

“I told you, I was-”

“If you say ‘at the library’ again, I’m going to smack you,” her leader snapped.  “Just tell us the truth.  Are you in trouble?  Is it a guy?”  Velvet felt her face heating up, and Coco clearly noticed the blush.  “So it’s a guy… Who is he?”

“N-no one…”

“Velvet!

“There’s no guy...”

“Well, whoever he is, you hid your crush well.  I mean, just yesterday I saw you glancing up at Oo…. Bleck….” Fox trailed off, staring at his friend. 

Coco slowly turned to face the Faunus girl, having put two and two together.   “Oh Christ Vel, tell me you’re not!”

“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about...”

“Oh my god! Really, Vel?!  You’re dating the HISTORY TEACHER?!”

“Not so loud, please…”

“Jesus Christ, what the hell, Velvet?!  You’re barely legal, and he’s god knows how old!”

“Thirty-three.”

Coco was thrown off by Velvet’s response. “What?”

“He’s thirty-three.”

“Velvet! He’s your  _ teacher _ !”

“And he’s very intelligent, and extremely sweet to me…”

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this!”

“I can,” Fox interrupted.  “I totally saw this coming.”

“Fox, shut up!”

“I’m just saying.”

Coco growled in frustration and stormed over to her bed.  Before anyone could ask what she was doing, she pulled her infamous handbag out from under her bed.  “If you’ll excuse me, I have a history teacher to murder the hell out of.”

“What?!  No!  You can’t!”

“Watch me!”

Yatsuhashi, who had been silent and stoic this entire time, finally looked up.  “You cannot kill him, Coco.”

“And why the hell not?!  He’s taking advantage of our teammate!”

“That is not what it sounds like to me.  It sounds more like they like each other and are not letting the fact that they are teacher and student get in their way.”  He looked at Velvet.  “Which is closer to the truth?”

“We like each other… We have a lot in common, and I like being with him…  He isn’t taking advantage of me in the least…”

“Then I cannot let you kill him.  We must allow Velvet to make her own decisions.”  He looked back to Velvet again.  “But if he ever hurts you, I will be first in line to, to quote our leader, ‘murder the hell out of him.’  And you can tell him that.”

“Got it…”

Coco huffed angrily.  “Well I still don’t like it.” With that, she put her handbag back under her desk and flopped on her bed.  “As leader of this team, I declare that the maximum amount of bullshit for the day has definitely been reached! Now everyone go the fuck to sleep!”

Everyone obediently got into their beds, most of the team going to sleep almost immediately.  Velvet stayed up just a little longer to send a quick text to Bartholomew.  “My team knows about us. I managed to convince them not to kill you, so I think we’ll be ok.”

In seconds, she had a reply.  “Are you certain they will not tell anyone about us?”

“They seem to realize that being with you makes me happy, so I think they’ll keep it quiet.”

“I certainly hope so.  For now, all we can do is wait.  Do you still wish to go through with dinner tomorrow?”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Excellent.  Until then, good night, my dear.”

“Good night.”  Velvet put her Scroll away and lay back on her bed, thinking about what had just happened.  She had known Coco would be pissed, that girl got angry at the smallest things sometimes, and she’d been the one to ask Bartholomew to talk to her about her crush.  Knowing her plan backfired was surely a contributing factor to her anger.

Fox seemed mostly surprised by the whole thing. She couldn’t tell if he felt one way or another about this, but she was sure he’d leave well enough alone.

Yatsuhashi was acting very supportive, which she appreciated.  She saw the gentle giant as the older brother she’d never had, and the fact that he was on her side made her feel so much better.  All in all, she felt the evening had gone rather well, all things considered.

  
  


Coco lay awake, thinking over what had just happened.  She couldn’t just let this go on.  She just knew that somehow, this relationship would end up hurting her friend.  She knew killing him was out of the question, Velvet would never forgive her. Plus the fact that it’s murder.  She thought about it for a while, and made up her mind:  She’d go talk to the headmaster.  Ozpin would have to put a stop to this, it was against the rules for a teacher and student to be together.  First thing in the morning, she’d go to his office and inform him of the situation. You know, as a concerned leader. With her plan set in her mind, Coco drifted off to sleep.

  
  


As soon as Yatsuhashi and Velvet went to the training area to spar and Fox went to the library to study, Coco went to the elevator to Ozpin’s office.  As she waited to get to the right floor, she went over what she’d say in her head.   _ Ok, say Oobleck’s dating Vel… I’m concerned… Don’t think this is good for Velvet… Ask him to stop it… Ask him not to let anyone know I told him so Vel’s not pissed at me.  Easy. _

When the doors opened, she strutted into the office, her head held high.  Ozpin simply looked up from his desk with that polite smile he always seemed to wear.  “Ah, Miss Adel.  What may I do for you?”

Coco sat in the chair across from him.  “I have something that I thought needed your attention.  Namely, a problem with one of your teachers.”

“Oh?  And what might that be?”

“It’s Professor Oobleck.  He’s started a relationship with a student. Specifically, my teammate, Velvet.  I’m worried about her, I don’t think this is good for her.”

Ozpin was quiet for a moment, just looking at her.  Just when Coco was starting to feel uneasy, he leaned forward.  “Miss Adel, did you really think this has escaped my notice?”

Coco blinked in shock behind her trademark shades.  “Wait, what?!”

“I already knew about their relationship.  Nothing goes on anywhere on Beacon’s campus that I do not know about.”

“Then why haven’t you stopped it?!”

“Have Miss Scarlatina’s grades been affected?”

“No, her grades are as perfect as ever.”

“Is her behavior any different, aside from the deception to keep her relationship secret?”

“No, she’s still the shy, sweet bunny we know and love.”

“Has she ever come home hurt, or showed signs of being abused?”

“Well, no, but-”

“Then what reason do I have to put an end to it? Frankly, Miss Adel, they seem to have a very happy and healthy relationship. Who are you and I to say they should not be happy?  If there were signs that either of them were being negatively impacted, I’d stop it. But they are not.  So I think it is best to let them be.”

“You can’t be serious!”

“I am dead serious.  I am not going to keep my friend and one of my students from being in a happy relationship.”  He gave a polite smile.  “Now please, enjoy the rest of your day.”

  
  


A short while after Coco left his office, Ozpin looked up to see his old friends Ironwood and Qrow walk in.  “Care to explain why one of your students nearly ran us over on her way out of here?” Ironwood asked.

“Had some fire in her eyes,” Qrow noted. “S’the matter? Didn’t get the grade she wanted?”

“Oh, she was just angry about a minor difference of opinion,” Ozpin replied.

“What sort of difference of opinion?”

“It is of little consequence.”

“Oh come on, Oz. Don’t hold out on us now. Not after that cryptic answer,” Qrow insisted. “Let’s hear it.”

“It had to do with a relationship between her teammate and one of the teachers.”

He could see the shock on Ironwood’s face.  “You  _ are  _ putting a stop to that, aren’t you?”

“Now why would I get involved in a relationship between two consenting adults?”

“What?!  Ozpin, you cannot be serious!  A  _ student _ and a  _ teacher _ ?!  There are so many reasons that this is wrong!”

“What exactly is wrong about two adults having feelings for each other and deciding to act on them?”

“The age difference alone is cause for concern!  If this were my school-”

“Sorry to rain on your parade, Jimmy, but it ain’t your school,” Qrow interrupted.  “It’s Ozpin’s. He’s a big boy. He doesn’t need a committee of other opinions to make decisions. He thinks it’s fine, and there’s no evidence to point to the contrary minus your dated intuitions. So, by all means, he’s free to let it go if sees fit.”

Seeing that Ironwood was going to continue to argue, Ozpin let out a small sigh.  “Look, James, this debate will get us nowhere. What if I call in the two in question and talk to them separately to make sure that this relationship is beneficial for both of them.  In fact, if you like, you may sit in when I speak to the student, so you can see for yourself that she is happy with her life and relationship.”

Ironwood considered it for a moment, then nodded.  “Very well.”


	6. Interrogation

Oobleck was a little nervous when he was called into Ozpin’s office.  He was sure that one of Velvet’s teammates had told him about them and he was about to be fired.  When he entered the office, he saw the headmaster talking to a gray-haired Huntsman he didn’t know personally.  They halted their conversation and both turned to look his way.

“Well if it isn’t the man of the hour. We were just talking about you,” the unfamiliar Huntsman called out, sounding less than sober. He looked back to the headmaster. “You still want to be good cop?”  _ Good cop? _

“Qrow, please. Bartholomew, thank you for coming so quickly.  Please, sit.”  When he did, Ozpin leaned forward on his desk and his accomplice,  _ Qrow I think _ , began pacing back and forth behind him, eyeing him like a predator stalking its prey.  “It has come to my attention that you and one of your students have… Gotten closer than the typical student-teacher relationship.”

“That’s one light way to put it,” Qrow chimed in, still pacing.

He knew it.  He was getting fired.  “I… I will clean out my office immediately.”

“No, that will not be necessary,” Ozpin assured him.

Oobleck was almost overwhelmed with relief, but also surprise.  “You aren’t going to fire me?”

“Not yet, at least,” Qrow immediately destroyed that relief.

“No.  _ I will not. _ ” He said that part more to Qrow than Oobleck. “But I do need to speak to you about this.  Just to ensure that there is never any reason for me to terminate you.”

Instantly, his nerves were back.  “O-of course.”

“First of all, I have to make sure you are not showing Miss Scarlatina any favoritism in your class.”

“No easy-A’s, right?” Qrow said in a more direct fashion.

“Absolutely not,” Oobleck assured them.  “She wouldn’t need it anyway, she is an exceptional student.”

“Are you keeping her away from her studies?” the headmaster continued to probe.

“Out on the town all night with the Professor instead of staying home and studying like a good little student?”

Oobleck opted for just ignoring the buzzed Huntsman. “On the contrary, I always tell her to put her studies first.”

“And most importantly, have you ever pressured her into anything she did not agree to?  Or done anything to hurt her?”

“That one there is a serious offense. The kind that tends to stick with you.”

“I would never,” Oobleck said with pride. “I care about her far too much.”

“Good.  Also, I need you to promise me that you have not and  _ will _ not do anything to endanger Miss Scarlatina’s career as a Huntress.”

“Of course I won’t.  I would never keep her from doing what she wants to do.”

Qrow stepped over from around the desk and leaned in close to the history teacher. “Whaddya think, Oz? Do we take him for his word or do you think he needs a little more persuasion?” His hand wrapped around the hilt to the collapsed blade hanging from his belt. Oobleck swallowed hard.

“Qrow, for the love of God, stop with the whole bad cop routine,” Ozpin called him off.

Qrow released his weapon and moved back behind the headmaster. “What? I was just havin’ some fun with him. No harm done.”

Ozpin sighed slightly and looked at Oobleck.  “I will hold you to your word.  Do not give me any reason to regret this.”

“I was just screwin’ with ya this time, but if this gets serious, then so will we,” Qrow threatened him.

Oobleck nodded.  “Of course.”

Ozpin gave a slight friendly smile.  “Then please, enjoy the rest of your day.”

With that, Doctor Oobleck stood and turned to leave.

Once he was out the door, Qrow asked his long time friend, “So, do you trust him?”

“Does it matter? He’s been warned. And a man like Bartholomew will take that warning to heart. He knows what’s at risk for the both of them. And, for the record, yes. I do trust him not to handle those risks lightly. Now if you could be so kind. I don’t think the girl will respond nearly as well to you ‘screwing with her.’” 

  
  
  


Velvet felt very nervous in the elevator to the headmasters office.   _ Maybe that 99% on my last exam… No, that’s stupid, it may be low for me, but it’s high for anyone else… I don’t think I did anything I’d be in trouble for… Unless of course you count my relationship with Bartholomew… Oh no! He knows! He knows and I’m getting in trouble for it! Oh good lord, I am so doomed! _

She was brought out of her worrying by the elevator doors opening with a soft  _ ding _ .  The girl was startled to see a strange man standing in the doorway opposite to her, apparently wanting to board as she was stepping out. She had no idea who he was. He was unshaven and wore a white jacket and a red cape. Her heightened Faunus senses picked up the strong scent of alcohol radiating off of him.

It took her a second to register that he was talking to her. “So you’re the one they want? This ain’t gonna be pretty.” He turned back to the headmaster. “Go easy on her, Oz! Not sure she can take what you originally had planned for her!” He stepped past her into the elevator. Before the doors could close all the way, he said to her, “Good luck, kid. You’re gonna need it.” Her ears picked up the sounds of his laughter as he descended on the elevator.

She slowly stepped into the office and was greeted by both her headmaster and a Huntsman she had seen around the school once in awhile, but had never met.  Ozpin smiled kindly at her.  “Ignore Qrow, Miss Scarlatina, he is just trying to make you nervous.  Please, sit.”  

She slowly sat in the chair in front if the desk.  “Um, am I in trouble for something?”

“Of course not,” the unfamiliar Hunstman assured her before Ozpin could speak.

“I can handle this, James.”  Ozpin focused his attention back on Velvet with a reassuring smile.  “We just want to talk to you.  It has recently come to our attention that you and Doctor Oobleck have gotten… Closer than most teachers and students.”

Velvet wished she could just sink through the floor.  She knew her face was going red, and she felt like she couldn’t breathe.

“Calm down, you’re not in trouble,” Ozpin reassured her.  “We just want to talk to you, and make sure you are not being pressured into anything you do not want.”

“And if you are, tell us and we’ll make sure Oobleck never goes near you again,” the unknown Hunstman added.

Velvet looked at the Huntsman in confusion.   _ Who is this guy, and why does he seem to care about this so much? _  “I’m sorry, I don’t believe we’ve met.”

“Of course, how rude of me. I am General James Ironwood. I am the headmaster of Atlas Academy,” he introduced himself, holding a hand out for a handshake.

“Velvet Scarlatina,” she replied, shaking his hand.  “Um, I don’t mean to be rude, but… How exactly are you involved in this?”

“I was very concerned when I heard about this.  I just wanted to be here in case there was something I can do to help you.”

“Um, well, I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine, I don’t need help.”

She could see Ironwood about to speak again, but Ozpin, thankfully, interrupted.  “James, please, let me speak to my student.”

Ironwood begrudgingly went silent, and Ozpin focused his attention on Velvet.  “Now, Miss Scarlatina, has Doctor Oobleck ever tried to push you to do something you did not agree to?”

“No sir,” she replied.  “He would never do something like that.”  

She could tell Ironwood didn’t believe her.  “Miss Scarlatina, if you’re worried about what might happen if you tell us the truth, don’t be.  We can make sure Oobleck never comes near you again if he’s forcing you to do something.”

“He’s not,” she insisted.  “I would have gone to my teammates or another teacher if he tried.”

“Good,” Ozpin intervened before Ironwood could speak again.  “And has any part of this relationship ever come between you and your future career as a Huntress, whether through keeping you from your studies, or any other way?”

“Even if I would let him come between me and my future career, Bar- I mean, Doctor Oobleck wouldn’t let me put him before my studies.  He always insists that I focus on my schoolwork first and foremost.”

Ozpin’s gaze suddenly became stern.  “Are you trying to use Doctor Oobleck to get better grades?”

Ironwood gave him a slightly startled look.  “Ozpin, please.  She is not the culprit.”

Velvet couldn’t help but give Ironwood a slight look.  “With all due respect, sir, there is no culprit.  And it is a fair question.”  She turned her attention back to Ozpin.  “No sir.  I prefer to earn my grades, and I would never be so awful as to use someone like that.”

“I am glad to hear it.  Then I only have one request.”  Ozpin gave her a serious look, making sure she was paying attention.  “I need you to promise me you will be careful.  You have many people who would be very upset if something happened to you, or if you were unable to continue working to become a Huntress.”

“I understand, sir.”

“Good.  You may go.”

As the Faunus girl left, Ozpin turned his attention to Ironwood.  “Satisfied?”

“Not in the least!  She was clearly nervous, probably because she was afraid of what Oobleck would do if he found out she told us the truth!”

“Or she was nervous because she was being called to the headmaster’s office for an unexplained purpose. And then, once there, an unfamiliar huntsman began making accusations about her relationship,” Ozpin pointed out.  “James, you’re chasing ghosts at this point. You’re convincing yourself of things that simply aren’t there. There is no reason to be concerned.  Miss Scarlatina is perfectly fine, and she is legally an adult, so it is not my place to interfere.”

“But Ozpin-”

“I refuse to discuss this any further.”


	7. A Movie

“Well, that was a waste of time and money,” Velvet commented as she and Oobleck walked out of the movie theater.  They had gone to see gone to see some movie about some popular actress with a bow and arrow, a movie Coco had recommended.   _ That is the last time I let Coco recommend a movie.  This was almost as bad as that stupid movie she made me watch about sparkly vampires.  Wait, nevermind,I'm starting to remember just how bad that was. This isn't even close. _

“I rather enjoyed it,” Oobleck commented, earning himself an incredulous look from his girlfriend.  “What?  I thought it was an intriguing social commentary about people being dulled to violence in the case of entertainment. It also dealt with some tough political issues.”

“That doesn’t make it a good movie,” Velvet protested.  “Good meanings and undertones can’t save bad presentation. I thought it was boring when it wasn’t barbaric. Most of the actors were either dry and monotone or way over the top. And the cinematography was atrocious.”

“Says the girl who cannot seem to manage to get a person’s head into a shot.”

“Hey. I’m an amatuer photographer and I’ll be the first to admit it. People got paid for that.”

Oobleck shook his head.  “All I’m saying is, it dealt with some interesting subject matter.”

“And all I’m saying is…” Velvet closed her eyes and exhaled. “Let’s just agree to disagree.”

“Fair enough,” he conceded, taking her hand as they began walking.  “So, where do you want to go eat?  I rather liked that restaurant we went to last week.”

“Oh no, I hated that place. The only vegan option was a dry salad, even their dressings were made with animal products.  Do you have any idea how boring dry salad gets?”

“Very well, where would you prefer?” he asked her.

“What about that place I showed you three weeks ago?” Velvet suggested.

“And there we find the opposite problem.  It is a  _ strictly  _ vegan restaurant.  I may respect your decision to be vegan, but I happen to enjoy meat.”

“You know being vegan is actually better for you.”

“I know.  But I still enjoy meat.  I am very surprised you do not miss it.”

“I’ve never had it.  I was raised vegan.”

“That explains it.  Perhaps you should try it.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Not even once?”

Velvet threw her head back and groaned. “We’re getting off track, Bartholomew.  We need to decide where to go to eat.”

“Well, there was that place that had the vegan stir fry you loved so much, and I enjoyed their chicken and rice.”

“That sounds perfect.”

 

After a pleasant dinner, the two took the airship back to Beacon.  After they landed, Oobleck faced Velvet.  “I suppose this is where we part ways.”

“I suppose…”

He gave her a warm smile.  “I will see you again soon.  Goodnight, Velvet.”

He turned to leave, but was stopped by Velvet speaking up.  “Bartholomew, wait…”  He turned back to face her, and was caught entirely off guard when he felt her hands on his shoulders, pulling him down so she could kiss him.  The kiss lasted only a second before she pulled away, blushing badly.  “I-I’m sorry…” she mumbled, eyes now fixed firmly on her shoes.

Oobleck quickly regained his composure and smiled at her.  “Sorry for what?” he asked, causing her to look up.  She smiled back at him.  This time, they met each other in the middle for the kiss. And it lasted longer than just a second.


End file.
